The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-01-30
A STORY OF BUFFALO BILL
HOW HE LEARNED THE FATE OF
A GIRL
ny the Sign Language and saved
Her From the Indians-HOw
He Cos His Name.

A letter from the plains says that
Matthewson, besides the K;owa Ian
guage, had learned the sign Ian
guage, which is the common Ian
guage between all of the tribes. If
you ask an Indian how far any place
is, and ii he does not speak your Ian
guage, he will tell you how many
sleeps off it is. A sleep is about
twenty miles. If it is about 200
miles off he will lay his head in his
hand, close his eyes and then
hold up both hands-It is
then twenty sleeps off. If he
wished to tell you you lied he
would thrust cut two index fingers
from his mouth, making an obtuse
angle, "You talk forked." Mat
thewson understood this sign Ian
guage perfectly, but the Indians did
not know this. Some Indians of an
other tribe had come in. They were
talking this sign language to a group
OF Kiowas:
What is it?"
"A prisoner got away. Prisoner
white and a young girl. Stole one of
their ponies. Got away in storm.
Will give one, two, three, four, five
cattle Kiowa catch her"
"All at once it flashed over me"
he said. "A young girl alone on the
plains, two tribes banding to catch
her! My brave one, I'm on your
side l sold them or half gave them
the goods to get them away. | slipped
away myself cautiously, quietly. ]
saddled two horses, my mare Bess
and splendid horse | had. took
my carbine and two Colt revolvers; |
told some struggling Kiowas that
were still there, My cattle gone; |
must go hunt them | pushed off
on the course | knew she would like
ly take. In few hours l struck a
trail. | examine it close; yes, it is
hers. Before this l strike small
band of Kiowa Indians, who were
securing the plains for her trail.
'Wherelyou going2 Hunt my cattle;
four CIT way; two red, to spotted.
| push on. follow the trail as long
as | can see; camp; partner, | was
young then; | didn't sleep much.
AS soon as | can see the bent and
crushed grass of the trail again |
push on, east, ever eastward. That
girl has got sense as well as pluck.
She knows the settlement lies there.
Bess losses her head and leads out
in long stride. Suppose these red
devils strike across and get ahead of
me! Well, if it comes to the worst,
| couldn't go down in better cause.
Hour after hour nothing but the
sweep and hateful sameness of the
stretch of the prairie. 1t is in the
middle Of the second evening. By
God there's a speckl Come, Bess,
we'll make that speck grow bigger.
It's horse, and there's someone
on It'll
Partner, I'm not the praying
kind, but l did thank the Almighty.
When she looked around and saw
me she was nigh frightened to death.
Her eyes looked just like fright
ened fawn's, but the next time she
turned they looked like a fawn's
when it finds out its mother has
scared it. Her Indian pony was
shaky. had her on my led horse
in jiffy. We pushed for the first
station or ranch on the route. We
changed horses there, and still
pushed on. We were not safe yet.
| carried her to the settlement in
Kansas.
Her folks had all been murdered
in Texas. She made her home
there atterward. Partner, it would
make a prettier ending for me to say
| married that girl; but l didn't
my time hadn't come yet. Later on
| lariated a splendid girl up off a
Kansas prairie. "
In 1860 William Matthewson
earned the title OF Buffalo Bill. The
Kansas drouths had cut short two
successive crops. Settlers were abb
solutely starving. Kiowas, Sioux
and Cheyennes were on the war path.
Again the chivalrous knight arose in
MatthewsOn Out in the range of
these hostile tribes were plenty of
buffalo. He got a wagon train to-
gether and said: Follow mel" In
few days the wagons were back to
the settlements, loaded down with
buffalo meat, while he remained out
there. Train after train goes out to
come back with life saving meat.
Grateful settlers would say: "Who
killed your bufalO?" Buffalo killer
himself" they would just say. Then
few Of those who knew him would
call him Bill. Then some teamster,
catching the name, when he was
asked, would reply: ut was Bill
Buffalo Bill" That was in 1860.
Frontiersmen say there is no &C
count of it being used earlier.